Melania Trump has threatened to sue a Croatian language school over its billboard which asks 'just imagine how far you can go with a little bit of English' over a picture of the first lady.

The Američki Institut school in the Croatian capital, Zagreb, say they posted they billboards to inspire its students.

But Melania, who was born in Slovenia, failed to see the funny side and her lawyer has demanded that the billboards be immediately removed. The adverts were taken down today.

Melania Trump has threatened to sue a Croatian language school over its billboard which asks 'just imagine how far you can go with a little bit of English' over a picture of the first lady

'I'm satisfied with the fact that the school admitted that they violated the law and that they are ready to remove the billboards and (Facebook) ads,' Trump's Slovenian lawyer Natasa Pirc-Musar told The Associated Press. 'We are still analyzing possible further legal steps.'

RELATED ARTICLES

Share this article

Share

The billboards had been posted around Zagreb with the words: 'Just imagine how far you can go with a little bit of English.'

Founder of the school, Brett Campbell - originally from Boston - told local newspaper Vecernji List: 'We are witnessing the great wave of emigration of Croatians who are looking for their fortunes in Anglo-Saxon countries, such as Ireland, Canada, Australia etc.

The likeness of Melania Trump has been plastered on billboards for a Croatian language school

'If you are well-versed in English, in these markets you can go very far. And we can help you.'

Born Melanija Knavs in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, Mrs. Trump was raised in Sevnica by her father, a car salesman, and her mother, a pattern maker at a textile factory, while the nation was part of the Communist-ruled former Yugoslavia.

Melania left in her late teens to embark on an international modelling career, which would eventually lead her to New York where she became Trump's third wife in 2005.

A year later, she took US citizenship and has only rarely returned to Slovenia, where her parents still own a house in Sevnica but mostly live also in the US, according to local media.

She is fluent in Slovenian, English, German, French and Serbian.

Melana (pictured with President husband Donald at the meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, Tuesday) is fluent in Slovenian, English, German, French and Serbian

Ivis Burić, the woman behind the campaign, said at the time that, while people 'can have all sorts of opinions about Melania... they can not deny her the success she deserves.'

She has since apologized saying the adverts were 'meant to be something positive, to show her as a role model.'

'We are very sorry that the billboards were misunderstood as something intended to mock the U.S. first lady,' she added.

Buric admitted that the short advertising campaign turned out to be 'very successful' because of the wide publicity it received both locally and internationally.

She said that the school intends to put up new billboards, this time without Melania Trump's image.

Pirc-Musar added that the school's apology also needs to be published by the Croatian and Slovenian state news agencies.

Trump has hired the law firm to protect her image, which has appeared on various products in her native Slovenia, including cakes, underwear and tourism advertisements.